The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-12-10
water supply .

t.e expenditure necessary , secure
1T; The East India company, aud
British coi0nists in India, have an
-Wered This question in he creation
OF AZ licial waterways at great cost.
There irrigation is carried on on "A
lager scale than in any couutry on
the globe, Their system L. so extern
sive and 50 grand in IL, bencticeut
results as to pale American infant
enterprises into nsiguilicsnce IN
! comparison. They have utilized vac
/ volumes of water. literal y forming
artificial rivers, and connecting rain
less, suI-parched deserts into habit
able agricultural regions. There are
many of these, and they water many
may be mentioned ss an example of
wonderful enterprise, Its length is
about 900 miles, its capacity 1000 cubic
feet OF water per second, the area sup
piled nearly 100000 of acres, and
itb cost upwards of 100000 900
It's reservoir system for ilupounding
and storing water for transmission
. by lAtteral ducts and bitches through
the Il4ntetions, is of immense msgni-
tude. In his admirable paper on irri-
cation, MIR. Walter II. Graves, G.. f.,
referred TO in former arti-
,in Ia,
statement that: "In one province
alone, the Madras Presidency, here
are fifty three thousand reservoirs,
estimated to have over thirty thous-
and mi 5 OF Cmbankment and three
hundred thousand separate masonry
gates, sluices, waterWeirs, etc. one
reservoir, the ~ esYanum Tank )" hes
an embark ment twelve miles in
length, and covers an area of thirty
four square miles" Thus British
India il is stated, with an area
scarcely more than half as great as
tho arid region, by reason of lrriga
ton, supports It population of two
hundred millionsh The advantages
Of this tremendous system OF irriga-
I ton, in their relation to production
ald human sustenAnce can scarcely be
estnatcd WhlD its influence on
civilization aud the destiny of mar
kind bcwilders thought aud CON
POUNDS figures III the strain to com
pute it. The retaining of 100000
( of acres OF arid and, at Il cost OF $780,
0OO,O00 presents no dlsproportionate
feature of expenditure, in comparison
with he results. In its arid. rainless
and lnhospitaNle condition, the
land thus redeemed was value
less for hubiiatIou and agriculture,
and formed no considerable item i'll
computing individual comfor or ns-
'onal ealth, but in its condition I'M
der irrigation, it affords homes aud
sustenanCe for four times the populS-
tion of the United States, and rises to
the dignity Ola factor in shaping al Il .
tObtl Olllu2 lIlC tOlLllilci W anu Twill I
lation of the world II we 20 into /
the domain Of money value and UNI /
dertakc to deduce the maximum .
worth of only 100000 of acres of
these lands, we are aided by fabulous /
examples here in our favored land of
Liberty aud sporadic populations.
Some Of the elder stat % have achiev-
ed marked results i'll their expert
ments. and wherever success has al
tended their eiloIt9 he prices of the
,nds irrigated have been enhanced
but If we turn to knu-
sas and California, and certain loca-
lions In Colorado, Iowa and New
Mexico, we are amazed ut the increas-
ed value of arabic lands by reason of
he artificial wet"r supply. TIE en-
lanccment, even IN these sparcely
populated states, ranges from s. to
$500 per acre-the average being,
probably, not l9ss an $50. In the +
ienso y peopled region of B.N,sh In
liza, it is fair to assume the increased ,
'slue is much greater; but if it be no
greater the expenditure of 100000 =
700 to reclaim 100000 OF acres
vas profitable investment I
nd as perlnal 9 At and imperi, hable as /
he sure aud firm set EARTH Cali !
ornians hold their irrigat ed lands at l
I!ty, one, two and three HUNDRED del
irs per acre, fer agricultural and hor-
'cultura purposes, even in the pres
Ut thiuly sO'l2d condition Mas
achusetts, more dansely settled, as
esses her truck farms at two TO four ,
indeed dollars per acre and she has
o general system of irriga ton, thus :